Not so fast: Following the Notre Dame Cathedral fire, heritage experts respond to Macron's ambitious five-year restoration deadline

Not so fast: Following the Notre Dame Cathedral fire, heritage experts respond to Macron's ambitious five-year restoration deadline - Archinect

Posted: 29 Apr 2019 04:07 PM PDT

Notre Dame Cathedral's spire engulfed in flames in the evening hours of April 15, 2019. Image: Wandrille de Préville/Wikipedia.

Heritage experts warn that restoring Notre Dame de Paris after the devastating fire of 15 April will be so complex that it could take a decade or more, despite President Emmanuel Macron's vow to "rebuild the cathedral more beautiful than ever" within five years. — The Art Newspaper

While President Emmanuel Macron has an obvious political interest in reopening the severely damaged Notre Dame Cathedral for the Paris Olympic Games in 2024, experts call for patience and reject improbable deadlines.

Notre Dame's north rose window dates back to around 1250. Image: Wikipedia.

A host of engineers, scientists, and conservators will have to inspect the structural integrity of the ancient limestone vaults and oak roof beams, survey the condition of the 13th-century stained-glass rose windows, investigate the immediate and long-term destruction caused by the water used to put out the flames, and, ultimately, find enough old-growth oak trees to restore the roof timbers in a historically authentic fashion—and the appropriately trained artisans to execute this work.

The oak trees used in the complex roof framing were felled in the 12th and 13th centuries. Image: Wikipedia.

The renovation is certain to be "very long and delicate, and we absolutely can't say it will take four, five or ten years," the architectural historian Alexandre Gady tells The Art Newspaper. "The president should have said we will do it as well as we can, not as fast. It is the monument that commands—we must obey."